Nephew and Uncle
by elang4
Summary: This takes place during the revival and will focus on Jess and Luke's relationship and their lives. Gaps since Jess was last on scene will be filled. Follow the nephew and uncle as they encounter life with obstacles, love and laughter but always have each other's backs.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've been wanting to start a new story for a while now but I wanted a really good original idea that I hadn't done before. I'd like to thank AJ Granger for helping me with some ideas! :) Obviously I will be continuing with This is Life as well so I hope you keep following that as well. :)**

 **Anyway, this story is going to focus more on Jess and Luke's relationship and their lives. This will start during the revival and I'll hopefully fill in the gaps since Jess was last on the scene. Rory and Lorelai will be in this as well but I want it mainly focused on Luke and Jess. Some of the things that happened in the revival will be in here but I may change others. So I hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 1

"Do you really have to do that every time you see me?" Luke grumbled as he retrieved his cap that Jess had thrown from the pavement ahead of them.

"Well, Uncle Luke, what can I say? I like being predictable." Jess smirked.

Luke just shook his head. He glanced over at him. It had been over a year since he'd last seen his nephew. They'd spoken a lot on the phone but Jess had been so busy that he hadn't had time to visit much. "It's good to see you." He said.

"You too." Jess said.

"How was it with Rory?" He asked, glancing at him curiously.

"Fine." He shrugged. "We just caught up. It was nice."

"Nice?" Luke questioned.

Jess smirked slightly. "That's ancient history, ok? We're friends now. Nothing else." He said.

"Ok." Luke said. He glanced over at him. "So is there anyone else then?"

"Nope."

"Really?" Luke asked.

"What, do you know something I don't?" Jess joked.

"Well you've got a roommate, haven't you? A roommate you've been very secretive about may I add. She works with you at Truncheon right?" He said.

"Right." Jess nodded. "And like you said, she's a roommate and a colleague. Nothing to tell."

"Ok." Luke shrugged as they entered the diner.

Jess glanced at him. "Any progress on my personal life, you'll be the first to know." He said smirking slightly.

"Good to know." Luke said smirking slightly.

"So let's talk about this cult my crazy mother seems to have gotten her and TJ into." Jess said.

"Urgh do we have to?" Luke groaned.

* * *

Later that day, Jess was about to leave Luke's when he got something out of his bag. "Oh I nearly forgot. Thought you might like a copy." He said handing Luke a book.

"Oh is this your new one?" Luke said. "I was going to buy this so you got the money."

"Don't worry. There's always free ones for family." Jess said. "And I specifically wanted you to have a copy of this one."

"Why?"

"Check the front." Jess said.

Luke opened it up. "Where am I meant to be looking?"

"The dedication." Jess said.

Luke went to the dedication page and was surprised to read what Jess had put. _To the one man in my life who never gave up on me. To the one man in my life who really made me believe I could do anything I wanted. To the one man in my life who was there for me through everything. Thank you, Uncle Luke. For everything._ Luke's face softened. "Jess..." He said touched.

"I thought it was about time I dedicated a book to you." Jess said.

"You didn't have to." Luke said.

"I did. I know I've said it before but I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I wanted to show you that." Jess said.

"Well, thank you." Luke said softly, glancing back down at the dedication. "Why the hell did you put uncle in it?" He said, smirking slightly.

"Well I just knew how much you love it when I call you Uncle Luke. I couldn't resist." Jess smirked.

"Smart ass." Luke smirked.

"I better get going. I said I'd be back at Truncheon by this evening." He said.

"Oh yeah sure. You'll visit again soon right?"

"Well I told Doula I'd come and see her next weekend so I'll be around then." He nodded. "And don't worry. I'm sure things will work out with Lorelai. Just promise me you'll talk to her. Tell her how you're feeling."

"Yeah I promise." He sighed.

"It'll be fine." Jess assured him.

"I hope so." Luke said. "You need any money?"

"No, I'm good." Jess said. "See you around. Uncle Luke." He smirked.

"Get out of here." Luke smirked.

Jess grinned and then turned to leave. He started walking down the street to his car when he heard a familiar voice call him. "Lorelai." He nodded as his uncle's girlfriend approached him.

"One day and you're already trying to ruin people's lives!" She exclaimed. "What, do you just enjoy doing it?"

"I'm sorry. Have I accidentally stepped back into 2004?" Jess said dryly.

"What?" Lorelai said.

"I seem to remember you storming up to me in a rage when I came back in 2004 to retrieve my car." Jess said. "I thought we'd moved past all of that. Remember, we came to a truce once you got back with Luke? Or did you only mean that so long as I stay away from your beloved daughter?" He said sarcastically.

"Stop being smart!" Lorelai said angrily. "You knew I'd hate the idea so why would you suggest it to her?"

"Suggest what to who?" Jess said confused.

"You told Rory to write a book about mine and her life! Why would you do that?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Because I thought it was a good idea. Rory's a great writer." Jess said.

"No, I'll tell you why you did it! You thought if you came back, acted like her saviour when she was down, she'd remember how much she loved you and you'd win her back? Screw anyone else's feelings about the idea!" She said angrily.

"Ok whoa, slow down!" Jess frowned. "I'm not here to get Rory back or whatever."

"Then why did you go and see her?"

"Because I hadn't seen her for four years! I wanted to catch up! She was upset about not knowing what she was going to do next so I just suggested writing a book. It was just a suggestion. I'm sorry you got so upset about it. Believe it or not, that wasn't my aim." Jess said.

"Well I wish you'd just keep your opinions to yourself." She muttered.

"Yeah well maybe you should focus more on your life than Rory's." Jess retorted.

"What?" She said taken aback.

"Luke! He's miserable! He says you're not communicating again. He's worried because he didn't take you up on your offer of helping to pay for April to go to Germany, that you will start to pull away again. He's worried that because he doesn't want kids, you will leave him." Jess said. "So maybe you should focus on the man who loves you rather than taking out everything on his nephew who thought he was helping your daughter."

"He told you all of that?" Lorelai said quietly.

Jess sighed. "Yes. Look, I swear to you, I didn't suggest the book to Rory to upset you. I didn't realise it would upset you so I'm sorry. But it was only a suggestion. I wasn't even sure Rory would even think about it."

Lorelai sighed. "No. I'm sorry, Jess. It's just...been a weird few days, that's all. I found out this week that Michel wants to leave The Dragonfly and then today we got my dad a new headstone and then Rory brought up the book. My emotions are all over the place at the moment." She said. She glanced at him sheepishly. "I guess you were an easy target. Sorry."

"It's fine." Jess said. "Just fix things with Luke. He loves you."

"Yeah I know." Lorelai said quietly. "I will."

"Good." Jess said. "I better get going."

"You're heading back to Philadelphia today?" She asked.

"Yep. It was only a flying visit." Jess nodded. "See you around, Lorelai."

"Hey Jess?" She said as he started walking away.

"Yeah?" He said turning back.

"That truce...You still want it right?" She said sheepishly.

Jess smirked slightly. "We're ok. Bye Lorelai."

"Bye Jess." She smiled.

Jess shook his head as he started walking off. Once he'd heard Luke was back with Lorelai, he was happy for his uncle. As much as he and Lorelai never got on, he knew she made him really happy and that was all that mattered. He came and visited over Christmas, the first year they'd gotten back together, and to say it was awkward was an understatement. He and Lorelai didn't really know what to say to each other so one day, he knew he had to make the first move. He apologised for being an ass to her when he first came to the town and he told her that he was happy that she and Luke had reconciled. He also suggested having a truce for Luke's sake. He knew Luke wanted them to get along and now he'd grown up, he realised he sort of wanted that too. He didn't want to lose the relationship with Luke that he had formed and if they kept it up, he would need to be around Lorelai as well. To his surprise, Lorelai agreed and even she apologised for being too judgemental when he first arrived. From then on, it wasn't as awkward and the visits that came from then on went smoothly, even when he actually stayed with them for six months while he was writing his new book.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't look where he was going and he bumped right into someone. "Sorry." He apologised.

"No, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." A familiar voice said.

Jess froze as he realised just who he had bumped into. "Dean.." He said.

"Hi.." Dean said awkwardly, just as surprised.

"Well...this is awkward..." Jess said dryly.

Dean chuckled slightly. "Just a bit." He admitted.

"I thought you moved away." Jess said.

"I did. I'm just back for the weekend, visiting my parents." Dean said glancing down at his feet. "Uh...are you visiting Luke?" He asked trying to ease the awkwardness slightly.

"Yup." Jess nodded.

"Cool. That's...cool." Dean said cringing as he heard how uncomfortable he sounded.

"I guess we were going to bump into each other at some point." Jess said, just as awkward.

"I guess so." Dean said. "I..uh..I should get going..."

"Me too." Jess said, pleased to have a reason to stop the awkwardness, starting to pass him but then he thought about how he managed to bury the hatchet with Lorelai. Maybe it was time to do that with others as well. "Dean, wait..." He said turning round.

"What?" Dean said surprised that Jess had stopped him.

"This is stupid." Jess said. "What happened between us was so long ago. Is there really a need to keep a grudge from when we were kids?"

"I..uh..I guess not." Dean said uncomfortably, scuffing the pavement with his shoes slightly.

"I'm sorry. I was a jerk to you. I was in a bad place and I thought if I got Rory, I would be happier." Jess admitted. "I guess I screwed that up as well though."

"Well..uh.." Dean said not really knowing what to say. He never thought he'd hear an apology come out of Jess Mariano's mouth.

"We've both moved on right? I mean I heard that you're married now and have kids?"

"Yeah. Jenny." Dean said. "We have three kids and we're expecting another."

Jess nodded. "Well I'm glad."

"How about you? Are you with anyone?" He asked slowly.

"Nope. Not at the moment." Jess said.

"Oh."

Jess glanced at him for a moment and then slowly held out his hand. "Truce?" He offered.

Dean looked at him for a moment before slowly shaking his hand. "A truce would be nice." He said.

"Good. Thanks." Jess said letting out a breath. "Hey, who would have thought we'd actually have a nice conversation for once?" He smirked.

Dean chuckled, the awkwardness leaving slightly. "Yeah. I certainly never thought I'd see the day." He admitted. "I never knew you knew how to apologise."

Jess smirked. "Oh I knew. I just wanted to annoy you as much as I could."

"Right." Dean chuckled. He glanced at his ex nemesis. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry too. I should have accepted that Rory chose you and stayed out of it. I guess, well I guess I wanted to make you feel how you made me feel. It was pathetic really." He said.

"No I get it. I probably would have felt the same." Jess shrugged. "And hey, that sucker punch at Kyle's party must have made you feel better." He smirked.

Dean laughed. "At the time, yeah it did." He admitted.

"Never thought you had it in you." Jess said.

"Well...I guess you didn't really know everything about me."

"I guess not." Jess said.

"So...we're cool?" Dean said.

"We're cool." Jess nodded. "I should get going but if you're around when I'm next here, we could go grab a beer or something? If you want."

Dean glanced at him and smiled. "That would be nice." He said.

Jess nodded before turning round and starting to walk towards his car again. Well this visit to Stars Hollow had certainly been more eventful than he had expected.

* * *

Jess opened the door to his apartment and immediately smiled as he saw his roommate pacing around on the phone. "Hey." He said to his other two roommates who were lounging on the couch.

"She's been like this for about an hour. Apparently the main article wasn't up to scratch and now the person who wrote is has gone away on holiday." Matt told him.

"Oh dear..." Jess chuckled.

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to be that writer right now!" Chris chuckled.

"No! No I don't care if she's bronzing herself on the beach. You go and tell her that her holiday can start when she rewrites this article! I don't care that it will take her hours! This magazine has to go out tomorrow so if she wants a job still when she gets back from holiday, she will get her ass off that beach and do what's expected of her!" She was ranting into the phone before hanging up.

"Good day?" Jess asked her.

"Shut up." She retorted. "I'm glad my upset is entertaining you."

"Oh it's not your upset. It's how you let it get to you. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the bad side of you." Jess smirked.

"You love baiting me." She frowned, crossing her arms against her chest with a huff.

"Paris, relax!" He chuckled. "I'm sure everything will work out."

"Easy for you to say, Mariano! You're not in charge of putting this magazine out every week. We haven't missed an issue for the last three years. I'm not about to start now." Paris snapped.

"And I repeat, it will be fine." Jess said, grabbing a beer out the fridge. "Here, sit and relax for a bit. If you're able to, that is." He smirked.

Paris huffed but took the beer and sat down with them. She glanced over at him. "So did you see Rory? She mentioned she was back in Stars Hollow for a bit."

"Yeah she's working the local gazette there now." Jess nodded. "She's good. Bit nervous about what the future holds for her but she's good."

"Good." Paris said. "And she...still doesn't know?"

"About you working with me? No." He said. He glanced at her. "I don't get why we can't just tell her though."

"It just...weird." Paris said. "It's like if she decided to work with Doyle. It would be weird."

"Well, she doesn't know so don't worry. No one does." Jess said.

"I don't see why it would be weird." Matt butted in. "It would only be weird if you were dating." He smirked.

"And you two are far too stubborn to admit you have feelings for each other." Chris teased them.

"Because we don't." Jess said.

"Absolutely not." Paris glared at them.

"Right. Sure you don't." Matt smirked.

"So what are we watching tonight?" Jess changed the topic. He zoned out as they started talking about the movie they were going to watch that evening. He glanced over at Paris and smiled slightly at the annoyed expression on her face that he loved annoying her about. He thought back to when Paris joined their team at Truncheon. They wanted to start a weekly magazine, advertising the books they were selling that week but also having interesting articles in it as well. None of them wanted to be the one in charge of it though so they started to look for another person to join them. When Paris arrived for the interview, he was surprised. He hadn't seen her since that time in Stars Hollow when they debated books over Rory's kitchen table. He remembered how annoyed he was when Rory had insisted she join them that evening but he remembered how he had actually enjoyed debating with Paris. She was smart like Rory and knew her books. He found out how she was on the paper with Rory at Yale and how she was editor for a bit. He knew she could do the job but they both felt a bit awkward about what Rory would think about them working together. Matt and Chris had told him he was crazy of course as she was the first good person they had interviewed the whole week. He knew they were right so agreed to have her do a trial. Paris impressed them all immediately and before he knew it, she was properly part of the team. Since they had an extra room at their apartment, it felt obvious to offer it to her. Jess had been surprised when she had accepted it and wasn't sure how weird it would be actually living with his ex's best friend but Paris fit in straight away. Matt and Chris loved winding Paris up but he knew they respected her. She saw them as her annoying big brothers but she respected them too. Now he and Paris were a different story. Their friendship had started off cautiously but soon they realised they had a lot in common and they started opening up about things. Paris had told him personal things that she hadn't told Matt and Chris and Jess had told her things he hadn't shared with his best friends either. Jess enjoyed the banter he exchanged with her as well. It reminded him of how Luke and Lorelai were before they got together. As they grew closer over the years, Matt and Chris started teasing them about just how close they had become. Nothing had happened like that of note between them but it didn't stop the teasing. He liked Paris. She had become one of his closest friends but there was still that elephant in the room. Rory. He'd moved on from her years ago but he just knew if something did happen between him and Paris, it would end his friendship with Rory permanently and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. He glanced over at Paris who just happened to glance in his direction at the same time.

"Are you seriously watching me watch the movie?" She raised her eyebrows.

"No." He said. Honestly, he hadn't even realised the movie had started.

"Weirdo." Paris retorted

"Freak." Jess retorted.

"Smart ass." Paris countered.

"Dictator." Jess smirked.

"Hey, can you two stop the flirting now please? There's people who actually want to watch the movie." Chris said.

Jess caught Paris' eyes and they both smirked before returning their gaze back to the tv.

 **So I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think and whether you'd want more of this! :) Thank youuu! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for your support so far! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 2

"So Lorelai has decided to go and do 'Wild' apparently." Jess said as he grabbed some toast to eat.

"Book or film?" Paris asked.

"Book." Jess said.

"Why?" Paris said confused.

"I don't know." He sighed. "Something's going on between her and Luke. I think this is her way of trying to deal with everything but it's just made Luke think that she's going to break up with her."

Paris glanced at her. "Do you think she will?" She asked cautiously.

"I don't know." He said honestly.

"Doing 'Wild' doesn't exactly sound like Lorelai." Paris commented.

"Yeah tell me about it." Jess said. He glanced at her. "The magazine's all good now right? Ready to go out?"

"Yeah eventually." Paris said. "Why?"

"I'm thinking about going to Stars Hollow and see Luke. He didn't sound too good on the phone." Jess said. "Everything's going smoothly at Truncheon at the moment so I figured it would be ok."

"Don't see why not." Paris shrugged. "Rory's actually asked if I wanted to hang out today."

"So you'll be in Stars Hollow as well?" Jess said.

"Maybe you can finally tell Rory about you two then." Chris said walking in, grabbing some toast Jess had made.

"There's nothing to tell." Jess said.

"What, apart from you've been living and working together for the last three years?" Chris said.

"You're not helping." Jess sighed.

"I just don't see what the big deal is!" Chris shrugged. "You say you've moved on from Rory..." He told Jess.

"I have." He said.

"And she's moved on from you?"

"That's a pretty good bet, yeah." Jess nodded.

"Then why would she care?" Chris exclaimed. "Like you've told me and Matt numerous times, nothing's going on between you two and it's never going to..."

"Because that's the truth." Jess said glancing at Paris who had gone quiet.

"Then why would Rory care? I get it would be weird if you two are dating but you're not so..." He said.

Jess sighed. "It's just..."

"Complicated." Paris said.

"Complicated, yeah." Jess said.

"Well, whatever. But I think you're both fools. And you may have fooled yourselves into thinking you don't like each other but you haven't fooled me." Chris said. He sighed. "Look, you're two of my closest friends. I just don't want you to throw away something that could be great just because you're worried about Rory. If she's really your friend, she'll understand and she'll get over it. If she doesn't, well frankly you don't need her." He said.

"Except for that fact that I'll still see her seeing as she's sort of family." Jess pointed out.

"She's been sort of family for years and you've barely seen her. I mean you said when you saw her in Stars Hollow recently, that was the first time in ages right?" Chris said.

"True." Jess said.

"So what difference would it make?" He said. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to have my say. Have fun in Stars Hollow and don't worry about Truncheon. We'll look after it until you get back. Give our best to Luke ok?"

"I will." Jess said.

Chris nodded. "Matt, come on! We need to get going!"

"Coming, coming!" Matt said, grabbing some toast before following Chris out.

Jess sighed as he watched them and glanced over at Paris. "Well I guess that was us told." He said.

Paris smirked slightly. "Yeah.."

"Maybe we should just bite the bullet and tell her." He said.

"I don't know..." She said biting her lip.

"What? What are you so scared of?" He asked.

"I don't know! I just...Rory's always been there for me through everything. She's the only real friend I've ever had. She's...I just feel like I'm betraying her. I know that's weird but..." She sighed.

"No I get it." Jess said. "But you know she's not your only friend right?"

"What?" Paris said confused.

"Well I'm pretty sure Chris and Matt would be offended if they heard that." He smirked.

"They'll just have to deal with it." Paris said smirking slightly.

"And hey, we're friends! Well I'd say we're friends. Wouldn't you?" Jess shrugged.

Paris looked at him for a moment and then gave him a small smile. "Yeah I'd say we're friends." She said.

"Then I promise you that if things with Rory go sour because of this, you'll still have me. You can't get rid of me that easy." Jess said.

"Why have you suddenly had a change of heart? You wanted to keep this from her too. Why are you suddenly all for telling her?" Paris questioned.

Jess sighed. "I'm just...tired of letting Rory run my life." He admitted.

"What?" She said surprised.

"Once I left Stars Hollow, I always had this hope that we might get back together. It was stupid really and even when she was with that blonde dick at Yale..." He said.

"You mean Logan?" Paris said smirking slightly at his nickname for him.

"Yeah. I always thought we might work out. She came to my open day and we kissed and I was hoping this meant something. Then she turned round and said that even though Logan cheated on her, she still loved him." Jess told her.

"Ouch." Paris said quietly.

"From then on, I tried to move on from her but it's been hard. She was the first girl I really fell for." He admitted.

"Oh yeah, it was pretty obvious you'd fallen hard." Paris nodded. "And I knew she'd fallen for you as well."

"How?"

"That dinner we had at Rory's that one night. It was obvious she liked you. I even brought it up with her after you left."

"You did?" He said surprised.

"Yeah. She denied it but it was obvious." Paris shrugged.

"Anyway, she's moved on from me and I finally feel like I have as well. But I'm still letting her run her life. So what if we work and live together? Why should that be a big deal? Rory should be happy that you've got a job you like." He said.

"I guess..." She said hesitantly.

"And if she goes off on one, screw her!" Jess said.

"You seriously mean that? You don't care what she thinks or how she feels?" Paris asked surprised.

Jess sighed. "Of course I do. I don't want to upset her. I've never wanted that. But this is stupid. I'm hoping she won't mind, of course I'm hoping that but this is our life now. I mean, you don't want to leave Truncheon do you?"

"No! Of course not!" Paris said quickly.

"I get that you're worried. I get that this situation is a bit weird but Rory and I are ancient history. I don't see why she would care about what I'm doing anymore." He said. He sighed. "Look, I don't want to pressure you ok? I'm happy to tell her when you're ready."

"Ok." She said quietly.

"Ok." Jess said. He glanced at her for a moment before tearing his gaze away. "I should get going."

"Yeah me too."

"Have fun with Rory." He said.

"Yeah..uh..thanks." She said.

* * *

"You're going to drive yourself crazy." Jess said having finally made Luke take a break at the diner and sit down.

"Well what else am I going to do? This distracts me from the fact that my life's about to fall apart!" Luke exclaimed.

"You don't know that." Jess said.

"Yes I do." He said gruffly.

"Have you heard from her?" Jess asked.

"Only that she got there ok." He said.

"Well at least she rang you to let you know that." Jess tried to find a positive out of the situation. He sighed when Luke gave him a look. "Sorry."

Luke sighed. "I just...I was so happy when we got back together, you know? I really thought it would last forever this time."

"And it still might. You don't know what she's thinking." Jess said.

"And what do you think she's thinking? She's gone of to do 'Wild'. Not once all the time we've been together has she wanted to go camping or hiking or fishing." Luke said. "Why now?"

"Well you said her dad's passing hit her hard right?" Jess said.

"Yeah..."

"Well maybe it's to do with that. This might have nothing to do with you at all." He pointed out.

"Or it could be." Luke said. He sighed. "Look, I appreciate you coming and looking out for me or whatever but I'm ok. I'll be ok."

"Are you sure?" Jess said.

"If Lorelai wants to break up, there's nothing I can really do about it. I will be upset that she's giving up on us but I can't exactly stop her." He said. "You're right. I need to stop driving myself crazy over it. She'll be back when she's back and then...well, we'll see."

"Well I'm staying until she's back anyway." Jess said.

"Jess, you don't have to..." Luke sighed.

"No discussion." Jess said firmly.

Luke smiled slightly. "Well, thanks." He said sincerely.

"What are nephews for huh?" Jess said. "Right, I'm going to head out for a bit but I'll come back later and help you close if you want."

"Ok. Thanks." He said.

"See you later." Jess said before heading out. He rounded the corner and immediately bumped into Rory and Paris. "Oh, hey!" He said.

"Oh, hi Jess." Rory said surprised to see him. "I didn't know you were still here."

"I came today. Trying to cheer Luke up but I'm not sure how good a job I'm actually doing with that." He joked.

"Aw poor Luke!" Rory sighed. "I told mom she needed to talk to him but she insisted on this hiking trip. And you know what my mom's like when she has an idea in her head."

"Don't I just." Jess said.

"Oh, you remember Paris right?" She said. "I think you met her once or twice."

"I don't think anyone could forget Paris Geller." Jess said, smirking slightly. "It's nice to meet you again."

"Uh...yeah, you too." Paris said stifling a smirk.

"Well I'll leave you to it. Nice to see you again, Miss Geller." Jess said giving her a mock salute before walking off.

"What was that about?" Rory said confused.

"I don't know." Paris said quickly. "You used to date him. You tell me."

"Yeah...well that was a while ago now." Rory said glancing at Jess' retreating form.

"Do you..uh..do you think that you and he might...well, get back together at all?" Paris asked cautiously.

"What? No!" Rory laughed. "No way! Me and Jess? No!"

"Why is it so funny?" Paris said.

"Me and Jess? Are you serious? Sure, we might have been good in the past and I did...love him. But he was so unpredictable! I guess we were just never meant to be." She said. "I wish luck to anyone who does end up with him. I'm tempted to warn them not to get too attached in case he takes off without saying goodbye." She joked.

"That's a bit harsh!" Paris frowned.

"What?" Rory said taken aback by her friend's reaction.

"I just mean, you two seem like your friends again. You were both young when you were together. I just think it's a bit harsh to still hold a grudge." Paris shrugged.

"I'm not. I was just joking." Rory frowned. "What's up with you?"

Paris was quiet for a moment before she glanced up at her. "I need to tell you something." She said as they walked up to the gazebo and sat down.

"Ok..." Rory said.

Paris took a deep breath. "I haven't been exactly honest with you about my new job."

"This writing job you got? Are you not enjoying it?" She asked.

"No, I am. I just...it's just..." Paris stammered.

"What is it?" Rory frowned. "Paris?"

"It's at Truncheon." She finally blurted out.

"What?" Rory said shocked.

Paris let out a big breath. "I work at Truncheon with Jess and we all live together in an apartment." She admitted.

"You...you work at...with Jess?" Rory said trying to get her head round what she was saying. "But...you've had this job for three years!"

"I know." Paris said quietly.

"So you've been working and living with Jess for three years and you didn't think to say anything about it to me?" She exclaimed.

"I felt weird about it. I mean Jess is your..."

"Ex, yeah I know who Jess is, thanks." Rory snapped.

"I'm sorry." Paris said quietly. "We wanted to tell you. We just didn't know how."

"Are you dating?" Rory asked.

"What? No!" She said quickly.

"Well you tell me you're living together. What am I meant to think?"

"Yeah we live together but we also live with Chris and Matt." Paris said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just..."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how to and I felt like I was betraying you or something." She said. "It's just...I love the job. When I saw it advertised, I knew it was something I would enjoy. I didn't know it was Jess' work until I turned up for the interview."

"Well why didn't you leave when you found out?" Rory exclaimed.

"Because Chris and Matt made me stay for the interview. Jess was as shocked as I was. The next thing I know, they'd offered me a trial. I'm sorry, Rory. Please don't be mad." She said.

"Mad? I'm not mad." Rory said stiffly.

"You seem mad." Paris commented.

"I'm not mad!" She exclaimed. "I'm just...I'm trying to get my head round this. I think I need to go." She said getting up.

"Rory, please! I don't want to lose my best friend over this! It's not a big deal really. It's not like you and Jess are still mad at each other. You're friends again now." Paris begged. "Please! You're my best friend. I don't want to lose you over this."

"Well maybe you should have thought about that before you took this job with my ex and moved in with him and failed to tell me about it for three years!" Rory said angrily.

"Please Rory..." Paris said desperately.

"Just...leave me alone Paris. Don't come after me, don't call me. You call yourself a friend but you're just a backstabbing liar!" Rory said spitefully. "I can see why you could never make friends." She snapped before storming off leaving Paris standing there, close to tears.

* * *

"You! You weren't happy about me turning down your advances and me moving on from you that you decide to steal my best friend from me?" Rory exclaimed angrily as she stormed into Andrew's later that afternoon.

"And hello to you too." Jess said dryly.

"How could you? How could you not tell me?" She exclaimed.

"You mean during all those lovely catch ups we've had over the past three years?" He said sarcastically.

"Don't! Don't do that!"

"Do what?"

"Act like you're superior to me and that I'm being silly!" She said.

"Well you're the one causing the scene right now." Jess said. "I'm assuming this is about Paris."

"What else would it be about? Yes, this is about you hiding the fact that you've been working and living with my best friend for the last three years and you both fail to tell me about it!" She snapped.

Jess sighed. "Look, we wanted to tell you but we were worried about your reaction. I'm wondering why now." He said sarcastically.

"I can't believe you would hide this from me!" Rory shook her head.

"What's the big deal? Paris is great at the job and she's happy. Shouldn't you be happy for her?" Jess said.

"No! She lied to me!" Rory exclaimed.

"She was worried about how you would react. She was worried she would lose her best friend over this. She really respects your friendship. She's your best friend, Rory. Can't you two just talk about this?"

"Ex best friend." Rory said crossing her arms across her chest.

"What did you say to her?" Jess frowned, narrowing his eyes.

"Why do you care?" Rory retorted.

"Because she's a good friend." He said. "What did you say to her?" He repeated.

"Oh yeah, you're such good friends! You probably only gave her the job so you'd make me jealous! What, are you two going to be dating next and then once I get jealous and announce my undying love for you, you'll just dump her? Yeah, good friend." Rory said spitefully.

"You know what, screw you Rory!" Jess said angrily, his blood boiling.

"Excuse me?!" Rory exclaimed taken aback.

"You really don't know me at all, do you? Do you think I've just been pining for you over the years? Because you were the one to turn me down. I got the message loud and clear. And now because I'm working with your friend, your first thought is that I gave her the job to make you jealous? I thought friends were meant to believe in their friend's abilities. But no, apparently you think Paris got the job because I wanted you to be jealous, not because she is actually a great writer and is great at what she does." Jess said angrily.

"I..." Rory said but didn't know what to say.

Jess just shook his head. "I'm sorry we hid it from you. We should have told you from the beginning, you're right about that. But if you're going to make us feel guilty about it, forget it. And if you think Paris is a bad friend, she nearly quit the job because of you. You know she told me that you were the first real friend she ever had. She really respects you and she was terrified that this would ruin it."

"Then she should have considered my feelings and found a new job." Rory said stubbornly.

Jess laughed. "Sure. So she should just give up a job she's amazing at because you find it weird that she's working with me."

"Jess!" Rory exclaimed frustrated.

"Forget it, Rory. If you want to give up a good friend like Paris, that's up to you. But think about this. You want Paris to quit a job she loves and find another one, one that could take ages for her to find and in the meantime, she will not be getting an income and she will be homeless. If Paris is a bad friend, what sort of friend does that make you huh?" Jess said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go and find Paris." He said pushing past Rory and leaving the store.

"Go to hell!" Rory shouted.

"Right back at ya!" Jess snapped.

* * *

Paris wiped her eyes and she felt someone sit down next to her on the gazebo. "She hates me." She sniffed.

"She doesn't hate you. She's just...upset." Jess said.

"She hates me." Paris said giving him a look.

Jess sighed. "Well screw her then." He said.

"Jess..." She said not in the mood.

"I'm serious!" Jess said. "Rory's not happy unless everything goes her way. Well life doesn't work that way and she needs to understand that."

"She was my best friend, Jess." Paris said quietly.

"Oh I'm wounded, Paris. You mean I'm not your best friend?" Jess tried to lighten the mood.

"Jess..." She sighed.

Jess sighed. "Paris, you're an amazing friend ok? All through this, all you thought about was Rory. That's what friends do, think about their friends and have their happiness at their best interests. One thing Rory has failed at. If she thinks you're a bad friend, then she's an even worse one." He said.

"Rory's been a really good friend over the years..." Paris said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Jess said. "This is all my fault. I never should have given you the job. That way you and Rory would be fine and none of this would be happening right now."

Paris sighed and glanced at him. "No, it's not your fault. I should have just been honest with Rory straight away." She said. "I love the job and you've been a great friend to me. I wouldn't change anything." She said glancing at him. "Especially you."

"Well...that's good to know." Jess gave her a small smile, putting his arm round her. "The feeling's mutual by the way." He glanced down at her. "For the record, I think you're a pretty kickass friend." He said giving her a playful nudge.

Paris smiled slightly. "Thanks Jess." She said softly. "You know what?" She said after a while.

"What?"

"You're right. I've been so worried about Rory's reaction that I've sort of let that take over my life recently." Paris said.

"Yeah well, I've let it get to me as well." Jess admitted. He glanced at her. "I've let it stop me admitting how I really feel."

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"About you." He admitted.

"About...me?" Paris said surprised.

"Don't get me wrong, Chris and Matt have been great friends to me. They mean a lot to me but I never thought I'd feel a connection with someone again like I did with Rory years ago. I never thought it would be possible to feel so connected to someone again." Jess said, glancing at her. "And then you showed up. It can't just be me who has felt it? Even Chris and Matt has seen it..."

Paris blushed slightly. "I guess I was trying to not think about my feelings as well." She admitted.

"Because of Rory." Jess said.

"Because of Rory." She sighed.

"Well I think it's time to seize the day again. We shouldn't let Rory run our lives. If she wants to be mad at us, let her. That's her decision." He said. "But I'm feeling that if I don't kiss you right now, I'm going to explode." He said softly. "So...how do you feel about that?"

Paris glanced at him and blushed again. "I'm feeling you should kiss me."

"Yeah?" Jess said smirking slightly.

"Yeah." Paris said smiling slightly.

"Well, Miss Geller, your wish is my command." He joked as he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. He pulled away after a moment. "How was that?" He asked.

Paris smirked and leaned in to kiss him again. "I think it's about time." She said.

Little did they know that Rory was watching them from the doorway of Andrew's, totally shocked by what she was seeing.

 **So I hope you liked it! I'm really excited about where to take this so I hope you keep with me! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay! I've been really busy at work and then my mum came for the evening yesterday so I haven't had time to write. I hope to update This is Life tomorrow but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the new chapter for this story. :) Oh and just to answer a question that's come up a bit, Paris was married to Doyle but they didn't have kids.**

Chapter 3

"Rory..." Paris suddenly said spotting her watching us. She quickly got up and started rushing towards her.

"Paris, wait!" Jess said getting up and running after her.

"Rory, wait!" Paris said, ignoring Jess.

"I don't want to talk to you." Rory said starting to walk off quickly.

"No, please Rory, wait! Please!" Paris begged.

"Why?" Rory snapped turning round to face her.

"I want to talk to you." Paris said.

"Well I don't want to talk to you." She said crossing her arms against her chest.

"That just happened, I swear. That's the first kiss that has happened." Paris tried to explain.

"That's meant to make me feel better is it?" Rory snapped. "You hid this tryst from me for three years!"

"It's not a tryst! Nothing's happened between us in the three years until now!" Paris exclaimed.

"She's telling the truth." Jess said catching up with them.

"And why should I believe a word either of you tell me anymore?" Rory said angrily.

"Geez Rory, the world doesn't revolve around you ok?" Jess retorted. "Yes, we should have told you about us working together and living together but we've apologised for that. We can't keep apologising. The kiss just happened then. Paris was right about that. Maybe we've been feeling something for a while but do you know why we tried to forget about our feelings? Because of you." He said.

"So what changed?" Rory frowned.

"You don't run my life anymore. I may have let you have power over me before but I'm not letting you anymore." Jess said. "I don't see why you even care! I heard you had a boyfriend?"

"I do." Rory said quickly. "And I'm very happy. He makes me so much happier than you ever made me." She said spitefully.

"Nice." Jess said dryly.

"Oh and it's Logan by the way. We met up in London and we reconnected. It's always been him. It's never been you. Ever." She snapped.

"Logan Huntzberger?" Paris said surprised. "I thought he was engaged..."

"It's not what he wants." Rory said crossing her arms against her chest again.

"Wow, Jess was right." She said.

"What do you mean?" Rory said.

"You've just been ranting about me hiding something from you and you've been hiding something from me as well. I thought you said friends don't have secrets." Paris said.

"This is different. You're dating my ex! Friends don't date their friend's ex, that's the rule!" Rory exclaimed.

"Yeah, well you've made it clear we're not friends anymore so I'm free to do exactly what I like." Paris retorted. "And why do you care? You've just told us how bad a boyfriend Jess was."

"Appreciated that by the way." Jess interrupted.

Rory snorted. "Just make sure he doesn't take off without saying goodbye. He's got a habit of doing that." She said spitefully.

"Yeah, well at least I'm not going out with someone who's engaged." Paris retorted. "I've really respected you, Rory. Your friendship has meant a lot to me over the years, you know that. But you're never happy unless everything's going your way. I never realised it before but it's true. When something doesn't go your way, you steal a yacht, or drop out of Yale, or even lash out at your friend who's been there for you through everything. I wonder why I was scared to tell you about this. But I'm not scared anymore. I haven't felt this way about someone since Doyle. This isn't just to spite you whatever you may think. I..." Paris said glancing at Jess nervously. "I really like him." She admitted. "I just...I hope one day we can be friends again."

"Don't hold your breath." Rory said stubbornly.

"Save your breath, Paris. We're obviously not going to get through to her. We've apologised. We've told her everything. We can't do much more than that." Jess said.

"I am right here, you know!" Rory said.

"Come on." He told Paris, ignoring Rory. "Let's go."

Paris nodded. She glanced at Rory. "Bye."

Jess glanced at Rory as well. "I thought we were finally good. I thought we could finally move past everything and be friends. I guess I was wrong. If you think I'm just going to abandon Paris, then you're wrong. I guess I'll see you around. Or not." He said, then turning to leave, leaving Rory standing them watching them walk away.

"Where are we going?" Paris asked.

"To come clean to the one person I need to tell before he hears it from someone else." Jess told her.

Paris glanced at him and immediately knew. "Luke." She said.

"Luke." He nodded. They got to the diner and he was about to go in when he saw Paris had stopped. "What's wrong?"

"What if you and him fall out about this?" She said nervously. "I don't want to be the reason you and Luke are fighting."

"You wouldn't be the reason." Jess said.

"But he loves Rory. She's like his own daughter. He won't be happy." Paris said.

Jess shrugged. "So what if he isn't?"

"You don't mean that. I know you, Jess. You love Luke. I know you won't admit it but I know how close you two are." She said.

Jess sighed. "That's why he needs to hear this from me and not from..."

"Lorelai." Paris finished his sentence from him. "Of course. Rory's going to tell Lorelai."

"Yeah and I'm going to be public enemy number one again." He said. He glanced at her. "You can head back to Truncheon if you want. I'm happy to do this alone and I will probably be coming back sooner than I thought anyway."

Paris glanced at him. "You're really willing to risk your relationship with Luke, your family, for me?" She asked quietly.

Jess gave her a small smile. "I like you, Paris. I really like you. I know I haven't exactly been great in relationships before but I don't want to screw this one up. I'm not just going to give up on you now." He said.

Paris blushed slightly and gave him a shy smile. "Thanks." She said quietly. "And I'm coming in with you."

"You don't have to." He assured her.

"I do." She said. "It's the least I can do."

"Ok." Jess conceded. "Come on then. Ready?"

"Hold on." Paris said taking a deep breath before taking hold of his hand. "Now I'm ready."

Jess gave her a smile and squeezed her hand. "Let's go." He said.

* * *

"Wait, so you're telling me that the roommate you've been going on about all this time, the one you would never tell me her name is...Paris? It's always been Paris?" Luke said.

"Yeah." Jess said as he and Paris sat on the couch up in the diner apartment, watching Luke pace around.

"You've seriously been working and living together for three years? You two? Together? And you're dating?" Luke said trying to get his head round what Jess had just told him.

"Yup." Jess repeated.

"We wanted to tell you before Rory or Lorelai tells you." Paris said quietly.

Luke stopped and glanced at them. "Rory knows?" He said surprised.

"Yeah. Rory knows." Jess sighed.

"And I'm taking by your expressions, she didn't take it very well?" He said slowly.

"You could say that." Jess said. "Which is why I wanted to tell you first. And...well...I wanted to make it easy for you and take myself out of the equation before you have to do it yourself." He said glancing at the floor.

"Wait, Jess..." Paris said surprised.

"What do you mean?" Luke frowned.

"Well...we all know Rory's going to tell Lorelai, who's going to come to you once she finds out and she's going to expect you to choose Rory over me. She's always expected that. And I get it, I do. You've always seen Rory as yours and I don't want you to be stuck in the middle." Jess said, getting up. "So...I want to make it easy for you. Paris and I will go back to Truncheon and you won't need to worry about me coming back to mess up everyone's lives like I normally do." He said. He glanced at his uncle. "I...I know I've said it before but I..uh..I really appreciate everything you've done for me. There's no hard feelings. This is just the way things have to be." He said gruffly. He glanced at Paris. "We should go." He said slowly turning and going to leave, Paris following him.

"Jess, wait..." Luke said.

Jess sighed and turned. "Please...don't make this any harder than it already is. It's ok. I get it. I really do." He said.

"No. You don't get it. You don't get it at all." Luke said. "Did you really think I would just turn my back on you? After everything we've been through."

"But Rory..." Jess said confused.

"Is like my own daughter, yes." Luke nodded. He looked at Jess. "But you're like the son I never had. And you're family. Family stick together."

"But Lorelai will..."

"I will deal with Lorelai if anything happens there. You forget I don't even know if we've broken up or not so it might not even be a problem." He said. He glanced between them and sighed. "I'm not going to say this isn't a shock but...if you two are serious and, well, if you do want to stay a few more days here, this apartment is free."

"Seriously?" Jess said shocked.

"I love Lorelai and Rory. But...I love you too, Jess. I thought that was pretty obvious." Luke said gruffly.

"Well...you did finally give me the password for the wifi." Jess said, smirking slightly.

Luke chuckled slightly. "Well I thought you finally earned it."

Jess glanced at Luke for a moment. "You really mean it? We can stay?" He asked.

Luke smiled at him. "At the moment, you're all I've got, Jess. I don't want to lose you as well." He said softly. "This..." He said gesturing between them. "...may take me some time to get used to...but...if you're happy, then you've got my support."

"Thank you." Jess said quietly. He looked at Luke for a moment before surprising Paris, Luke and even himself by going over and giving his uncle a hug. "Thanks." He said gruffly.

Luke let out a breath and reciprocated the action. "I'm here, Jess. I'm always here. That's never going to change."

 **So a shorter chapter but I wanted to get something out for you. I was going to make it longer but it felt right to end this here so I promise the next chapter will be longer! Please keep the reviews coming as I really love reading what you all think! Thanks again for all of your support. It really does mean so much to me! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know I said I'd update This is Life tonight but I need a bit more time for that as am having a little bit of writer's block for it. I promise there will be an update by the weekend though. I'm not giving up on it, promise! :) Anyway, thank you so much for your support for this. I'm really enjoying writing it. Hope you enjoy the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 4

Luke was stood in the kitchen at the Crap Shack, cooking food for him and Paul Anka, thinking about everything that had happened that day. To say that hearing Jess and Paris were a couple and had been working and living together for three years was an understatement. He still wasn't sure he had gotten his head round it completely but he knew one thing for certain. He wasn't just going to send them packing. Him and Jess had had their ups and downs over the years but he really liked where their relationship had come to. He wasn't lying when he told Jess he was like a son he never had.

Suddenly he was taken out of his thoughts by the back door opening. He was surprised to see Lorelai coming in. He wasn't expecting her for days yet. "Hi.." He said.

"Hey..." She said softly.

They looked at each other for a moment before Luke spoke again. "So...are you staying or...?"

"You think I'm about to go back out hiking? Me? Lorelai Gilmore?" She tried to joke.

"Lorelai..." Luke sighed, not in the mood for her jokes right now.

"I didn't even hike!" Lorelai rambled on quickly. "I mean I did a bit but not on the trail I wanted. I couldn't find my permit so the ranger guy wouldn't let me pass so I went on my own hike and I rang mom and told her a story about dad and then I realised something. It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I told my mom a nice story about how my dad spoiled me on my 13th birthday and suddenly I felt so much lighter."

"Lorelai..."

"And then I started thinking about us and I knew how stupid we were being and I knew exactly what I wanted. What I really needed." She continued.

"Lorelai!" Luke finally interrupted her.

"What?" She said nervously.

"Are you going to break up with me?" Luke blurted out.

"What?" Lorelai said shocked. "Luke..."

"Because I'll tell you now that I think that is a really bad decision. You might think I need all these different things but all I need is you. All I've ever needed is you and I swear to you now that I will not stop fighting for us. No one will be there for you like I am and no one will ever be there for you like I will keep being. I love you so much and I'm not going to just give up on us. We've been through so damn much, Lorelai. There was Max, then Rachel, then Nicole, then Chris! I had to watch you marry that guy and it killed me. It really killed me. But we got through all that and we were happy. I thought we were happy." Luke ranted. He took a moment to take a breath. "I'm not just going to throw it all away." He said.

"Luke..." Lorelai said softly.

"What?" He said nervously.

"I think we should get married." Lorelai said.

"What?" He said surprised.

"I think we should get married." She repeated.

"I thought..." Luke said quietly.

"I know and I'm so sorry I ever made you think I wanted to break up. Trust me, that was never in my mind at all. I just...I needed to get my head straight about a few things and I needed to do that alone. I know that was probably selfish of me but I really needed it." Lorelai admitted. "But I love you, Luke. I've always loved you. The wedding I always had in my mind that I was going to have always had you at the end of the aisle. I know things...got messed up a bit but it has always meant to be you." She said quietly. "So...what do you say? I've got it all sorted and planned. All you have to do is show up." She said nervously.

Luke was quiet for a moment before disappearing out of the room to get something from the drawer in the hallway. He returned with a small velvet box. He opened it and smiled softly at her. "I say yes. A hundred times yes." He said.

Lorelai let out a relieved breath and smiled at the ring. "It's beautiful." She said softly.

"I've been wanting to ask you for such a long time but I could never find the right moment." He admitted, putting the ring on her finger. "I love you." He said softly.

"I love you too." She smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss. "And I promise, I will never go hiking again. Ever." She said.

Luke smirked slightly. "That bad huh?"

"Oh yeah! I don't know what I was thinking!" Lorelai laughed.

Luke chuckled. "Well I'm glad you managed to work through a few things." He said.

"Yeah." She sighed. "It was good for that." She said just as her cell rang. "Oh it's Rory!" She said happily. "Hey, I can put it on speakerphone and we can tell her our news!"

"No wait!" Luke said quickly.

"Why?" She said confused.

"Just...don't answer it. We will tell her but just...not yet. Trust me on this. Don't answer. Please." Luke said.

Lorelai looked at him weirdly but then reluctantly declined the call. "Are you going to fill in the gaps for me or...?"

"Yeah." Luke sighed. "But we should sit for this." He said leading her into the living room and sitting down on the couch with her. "Now before I tell you, you've got to promise me not to freak out ok?"

"You're scaring me now..." Lorelai said worried.

"No, it's nothing bad, I promise!" Luke assured her quickly. "It's just...complicated."

"Complicated?" She frowned.

Luke sighed. "You know the roommate Jess has talked about a bit?"

"Yeah. It's his colleague as well right? They work together at Truncheon?" Lorelai said trying to remember.

"Yeah they do. Well, I found out today who it was. And there was a reason he was secretive about her." Luke told her.

"Why?" Lorelai asked.

"Because...it's...uh...it's Paris." He said, watching her face trying to gauge her reaction.

"Paris? As in Paris Geller?" She said shocked.

"Yeah. That was exactly my reaction as well." Luke said. "That's not all though. They..uh...they kissed today. Apparently it was the first time. But Rory's found out about everything and...well, let's just say by what Jess and Paris said, I don't think she took it very well." He glanced at Lorelai nervously when she didn't say anything. "Lorelai?"

"Sorry, I just...I'm trying to get my head round this. You're saying Jess has been working with Paris all this time?" She said slowly.

"Three years..." Luke said hesitantly.

"Wow..." Lorelai said quietly. "And...they're dating?"

"Well I think it's early days with that but...yeah, apparently so." He said slowly, still trying to gauge her reaction. "And I need to tell you now that Jess and Paris came to me and Jess told me everything. He was all ready to leave and go back to Truncheon and never come back again. He reckons you'll make me choose between Jess and Rory and he didn't want me stuck in the middle so he said he was going to make it easy for him. And before you say anything, I just couldn't let him go. I know you may hate me for that and you probably won't want to get married now but he's my family. I love Rory, you know I do. You know I'd do anything for her. I just can't lose Jess. That's the only thing I won't do." He rambled quickly and nervously. "So please, before you hate me and change your mind about the wedding, please just try and see my side..." He begged.

Lorelai looked at him for a moment. "Ok..." She said slowly.

"What?" Luke said surprised, definitely not expecting that response. "Ok? Ok what?"

"I can see it from your side." She said. She sighed. "I definitely wasn't expecting to hear this. Jess and Paris...I...wow." She said. "I can understand why Rory's upset..."

"I understand why she is as well." Luke said quickly. "But from what I've heard, Jess and Paris have tried to apologise. Apparently words were exchanged..."

"Yeah I can imagine that." Lorelai sighed. She took a big breath. "You know I have to be there for Rory right?"

"Of course." Luke said.

"But I respect your decision to stand by Jess."

"You do?" He said surprised.

"Jess and I may have had our ups and downs through the years but I feel like we've come a long way. I can sort of understand why he and Paris were hesitant about telling Rory. I personally think three years is way too long to wait but...I get their hesitation." She admitted.

"What about Rory?" Luke said. "I want Jess at our wedding and if he and Paris are serious, I'm guessing he will want to bring her but if the three of them can't sort this out..."

"I'll talk to her." Lorelai said.

"Yeah?" Luke said.

"I'll let her vent and I'll be her mom and comfort her. But I won't let this dampen the mood at our wedding." She said. "What?" She said when she sawing him smiling slightly.

"You still want to marry me then?" Luke asked. "Even though I let Jess and Paris stay at the diner apartment..."

Lorelai smiled softly. "I meant what I said before. I love you and I really want to marry you. Nothing's going to stop that."

"You are amazing." Luke smiled softly, letting out a relieved breath. For once, he was happy at being proved wrong. Maybe that hike really did do Lorelai well.

"That's Rory again." She said as her cell rang again.

"Answer it. I'll go make some food. Oh and please don't let on that you already knew." He said

"I won't." She promised. "And you should call Jess and let him know he shouldn't go into hiding." She joked.

"I love you." He smiled softly, giving her another kiss

"I love you too." Lorelai smiled softly. She watched him leave and then took a deep breath before answering the call. "Hey hon!" She answered chirpily.

* * *

"So it seems like we may have to face Rory again..." Jess said as he hung up the phone.

"What do you mean?" Paris asked.

"They're getting married." He told her.

"Luke and Lorelai?" She said surprised.

"Yep! Apparently she came back and told him how she needed to clear her head about a few things. He thought she was going to break up with him and she told him she wanted them to get married." Jess said, chuckling slightly.

"That's good then right? It's good they're back on track." Paris said.

"Yeah, Luke sounded really happy." Jess nodded. He glanced at Paris. "He also mentioned that Lorelai didn't bite his head off when he told her about us and how he let us stay here."

"Really?" She said surprised. "So...they're not fighting about it?"

"It appears not." He said, smiling slightly. He had to admit he was relieved to hear that. It meant one less Gilmore girl to try and make amends with.

Paris sighed, relieved as well. "That's good..."

"Yeah. It is." Jess agreed. "Although it might not be the same with the town."

"What do you mean?"

"Rory's like this town's princess. When they hear we've hurt her feelings, they may not be so welcoming." Jess warned her.

"You think they will come after us?" Paris asked worried.

"No, they will come after me most probably. I haven't exactly been the town's favourite person over the years." He said. He saw her worried expression still. "Don't worry, I'll protect you if they come after you as well." He smirked slightly.

"I don't need protecting." Paris retorted. "You forget I know Krav Maga."

"Oh of course. How could I forget?" He smirked.

"Shut up. I'm actually really good at it." She said smirking slightly.

"Oh I have no doubt about that." Jess said. "Maybe you will need to be the one protecting me then."

"I'm sure I could do that." She smirked.

"Thanks. I feel so much better right now." He teased.

"Shut up!" Paris smiled throwing a cushion at him. "I think I'm going to call it a night. I'm pretty tired and if we're going to have another sparring contest with Rory tomorrow, we will need all the energy we need. Especially if the town turn on us as well."

"You're probably right." Jess said. "You take Luke's bed, I'll take the couch."

"Are you sure?" Paris said biting her lip slightly. She was slightly relieved that Jess hadn't suggested sharing a bed. She didn't know how she'd react to that.

Jess smiled softly, understanding what she meant. "I'm sure. If you are."

"So long as you don't mind sleeping on the couch." Paris said quietly.

"Nope, doesn't matter to me." He shrugged.

"I thought you used to live here. Where's your bed?" She asked.

"Oh they took it to theirs. It's April's bed now." He said.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah." He said. He glanced at her. "So...do you want to use the bathroom first?"

"Oh yeah...ok, thanks." She said, getting up. She glanced at him before disappearing into the bathroom.

They were both soon changed and ready for bed. Paris settled into the double bed while Jess settled himself onto the couch.

"So...goodnight I guess." Paris said, cringing even as she said it.

"Night." Jess said smirking slightly. He turned the lights off and lay down on the couch on his back. He glanced over at Paris who was in the bed. "Paris?"

"Yeah?" She said quietly.

"You're still in right? To quote Luke, I'm still all in if you are." He said cautiously. He glanced over at her. "I hope today didn't scare you off..."

Paris smiled slightly to herself and glanced over at the couch. "I'm still in." She said quietly.

"Good." Jess smiled.

"Yeah. Good." Paris smiled.

"Night Paris." He said softly.

"Night." She said softly.

 **So I hope you liked it! I've loved reading your reviews so please keep them going! :) Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for your continued support! I'm overwhelmed by the reaction I'm getting for this story so thank you! :) Here's the next chapter.**

Chapter 5

A week had passed and it was the evening before the wedding. Luke could hear Lorelai and Rory chatting quietly in the living room. He had wanted to do the traditional thing of not seeing each other the night before the wedding but Lorelai and Rory didn't seem to grasp that concept so he gave up in the end. To be honest, it felt nice hearing them in the house and not having to worry about moving for the night, especially since Jess and Paris were staying at the diner apartment. He headed down the hallway with some food for them but stopped when he heard Jess' name in their conversation.

"So...you know Jess is bringing Paris tomorrow right?" Lorelai said cautiously.

"I assumed he would considering they can't seem to be apart." Rory said quietly.

"Rory..." Lorelai sighed.

"I know." She sighed. "I know you said there were bigger things to be angry at and that I should give them a chance but I just...I'm not in the mood right now. They really hurt me."

"I know they did. I'm not condoning them hiding it from you for three years but..."

"But what? Why are you suddenly Jess' number one fan?" Rory exclaimed.

"I'm not." She said patiently. "I'm just saying...you're going to be family from tomorrow. I get that you're upset but is it really worth losing them over? You and Paris have been friends since Chilton. I know how much she means to you."

Rory sighed. "Can we talk about something else?" She said.

Lorelai glanced at her daughter and knew she shouldn't push it so she nodded. "Ok." She said.

Luke chose that moment to go in. "Burgers are ready." He said.

* * *

"Are you really sure you want me going tomorrow?" Paris said as she and Jess were sat on the couch watching tv.

"What, am I already boring you that much that you want to go back to Truncheon already?" Jess joked.

"No." Paris rolled her eyes. "I just...Rory will be there tomorrow and we haven't heard from her since that fight. I don't want to make things worse and I don't want it to ruin Luke and Lorelai's day."

Jess sighed. "I know Rory and I'm sure she wouldn't want to ruin their day either so I'm pretty sure she won't make a scene." He said.

"Even so...wouldn't it be easier for me not to be there?" She said.

"Not for me." Jess shrugged. "I want you there. You're my girlfriend and I want you there."

"What?" Paris said surprised.

"What?" Jess said confused.

"Sorry, it's just...you've not called me your girlfriend before..." Paris said.

"Well, is that not right? I thought we were dating or..." He smirked slightly.

"No, we are. I just...I don't know, I guess it's just weird to actually hear you say it out loud." She admitted. She smiled shyly at him. "Sorry."

Jess smiled. "I guess we are still new to this. But if I hear you have another secret boyfriend, I won't be happy." He joked.

Paris smirked. "Nope, no secret boyfriend."

"Good to know." Jess smirked, pulling her close to him. "Hey girlfriend." He smiled, leaning in to give her a kiss.

"Hey boyfriend." Paris blushed slightly.

* * *

"They look really happy, don't they?" Paris said as she stood by the dance floor in the square, watching Luke and Lorelai dance their first dance.

Jess smiled as he watched his uncle smile at something Lorelai said and then Lorelai laugh at something Luke said in return. "Yeah they do." He said softly.

"It was a nice ceremony." Paris commented.

"Yeah it was." Jess said. "It reminded me of my mom's wedding."

"Really?" She asked glancing at him.

"Well not the wedding in general but she got married in the square as well. I guess that was Luke and Lorelai's first unofficial date." Jess commented. "It was a turning point for me as well..." He admitted.

"Yeah?" Paris asked intrigued. Jess hadn't really talked much about his past.

"Luke came to see me in New York and told me he wanted me there. After everything he'd done for me, I guess I couldn't bring myself not to go. I thanked him that night. For everything." He admitted. "It was a nice day."

"That's nice." Paris smiled softly.

"Yeah." Jess smiled, remembering back to the night he finally plucked up courage to thank Luke.

"Luke and Lorelai would now like to invite other couples onto the dance floor to join them..." Lane suddenly announced from the stage.

Jess glanced at Paris. "Do you want to dance?" He asked.

Paris glanced over at Rory who was on the opposite side of the dance floor, sat at one of the tables. She hadn't said anything to them the whole day. She really hoped she would have wanted to at least talk but she had just ignored them. She glanced back at Jess and smiled softly. "Sure." She said. Why should she not have fun?

Jess led her onto the dance floor and they started dancing slowly to the music. He saw Paris glance over at Rory again who was now on her phone. "You've been watching her all day." He said.

Paris sighed. "She's been too quiet." She said.

"Well like I said, she was hardly going to make a scene on her mom's wedding day." Jess said.

"It's not that though. I passed her in the morning before the ceremony when I went to Doose's to get us some food and she didn't say anything. I expected she would at least make a little spiteful comment but she didn't."

"Maybe she got out all the spiteful comments she could think of last time." He shrugged.

"She seems distracted." Paris said. "I've known her since high school and I've always known when something was wrong with her. You know her too. Can you honestly tell me she's been herself today?"

Jess glanced over at Rory and he realised that Paris was right. He had glanced over at Rory every so often throughout the day and she hadn't said much to anyone. He'd watched her smile and congratulate her mom and Luke just after they were pronounced husband and wife but other than that, she'd kept herself to herself. "No." He sighed. "You're right."

"See!" Paris said.

"What can we do about it though? She's not even talking to us." Jess shrugged.

"Jess, I know you care about her. You've said you don't but I know you do. Rory was a bit part of your life and despite the hurtful things she said, I know you're upset things have gone sour between you two." She said softly. She glanced over at Rory. "We need to make things right."

Before Jess could answer, Lorelai appeared beside them. "Sorry Paris, but do you mind if I steal Jess for a dance? Since Luke's dancing with my mother, I figured I'd dance with the best man. And you can't say no because I'm the bride and I get anything I want today." She grinned.

"Now that's a sight I never thought I'd see." Jess smirked as he watched Luke dance with Emily Gilmore.

"I don't mind." Paris smiled. "I'm going to grab a drink anyway."

"Thanks!" Lorelai grinned. She smiled sheepishly at Jess. "Sorry, I know this is probably your worst nightmare and something you never thought would happen but I didn't want to be left by myself looking like a loner." She joked. "Besides, it takes my mind of the fact that my dad's not here today because right now, I would probably be dancing with him."

Jess smiled sympathetically knowing how much Richard's death affected her, and Rory for that matter. "Nah I don't mind." He said. "Although you will owe me." He smirked slightly.

Lorelai laughed. "Oh I'm sure I will!"

Jess was quiet for a moment before glancing at her. "You're going to make him happy, right?" He said.

"What?" She said confused.

"I mean, I know you're happy. It's obvious. But you've also had your problems and Luke's a good guy. He deserves to be happy." Jess said hesitantly, glancing down at the floor.

Lorelai smiled softly, understanding what Jess was trying to do. "I'm not planning on hurting him, Jess."

Jess glanced up at her again. "Good." He said. "Because you two work. I saw it when I first arrived here years ago and then went on to insult you that night." He said causing Lorelai to smirk slightly. "You're good together." He said. "I'm glad he finally got off his ass and did something about it."

Lorelai laughed. "I'm glad too. Because your uncle...he's the best thing that's ever happened to me." She said sincerely. Jess smiled and subtly glanced over at Rory. Lorelai noticed this. "She'll come round." She assured him.

"Yeah?" Jess sighed.

"She's still hurting and you know how stubborn she can be. I guess she got that from me. But she will come round, I'm sure of it." Lorelai said.

"I hope so." He admitted. "I know I didn't always treat her right but she was a big part of my life and she was a big part of me turning my life around. I do still want her as my friend. And I know Paris wants her back as well."

"It might take some time but I'm sure it'll turn out ok." She said. She glanced at him. "So how is it going with Paris? I hope this doesn't come across as rude but Paris was one person I didn't exactly picture you with."

"Me neither." Jess admitted. "But we became friends and we got close. I guess we have a lot in common. We certainly didn't plan it, it just happened. But...I really like her."

Lorelai was surprised that he was opening up so much to her. "Well...Paris is Paris. I know we've joked about her being intense and crazy but...she's been there for Rory through some tough times. She's been a loyal friend to her. She's unique."

Jess chuckled at her description. "Yeah she is. But I guess that's why I like her."

"Well then I hope you're happy together." Lorelai smiled.

"Thanks. That...uh...that means a lot coming from you." He said. "But tell anyone I've been talking about my feelings to you, I will make you pay." He smirked.

"My lips are sealed." Lorelai grinned.

* * *

Paris took a deep breath before slowing walking over to Rory, holding two drinks. "Can I sit?" She asked nervously.

Rory looked up and was surprised to see Paris stood there. She was quiet for a moment before slowly nodding. "It's a free country." She said.

Paris sat down and pushed one of the drinks over to her. "I got one for you." She said quietly.

"Thanks but I'm ok." Rory said. She saw Paris' face deflate slightly and felt a bit guilty. "It's just I'm not drinking at the moment." She said.

"Oh. Ok." Paris said. She glanced over at her. "I hate this." She said after a moment. "We've been through so much since Chilton. I don't want to lose. You've been the best friend I could have asked for. Well...you were my only friend really. You made me feel like I actually mattered. Everyone at Chilton thought I was a freak and then so did everyone at Yale but you were always there for me and you were always there to remind me that it didn't matter what others said or thought. You always made me feel like I was worth something." She said. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about Jess as soon as I got the job. I should have but I can't change that now. I just want my best friend back." She said quietly. She sighed when Rory still hadn't said anything but she was surprised when she looked over and saw Rory looking like she was about to cry. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"I'm pregnant." Rory admitted.

"What?" Paris said shocked.

"You were right. I should never have reconnected with Logan because now I've messed up big time. I'm pregnant with his baby and he's about to get married and I have no idea what to do." She said tremulously. She glanced over at Paris. "I'm sorry I said those things to you. I was angry and upset and I guess I was hormonal as well although I didn't know it at the time. I know that's not an excuse but that's all I've got." She said quietly, sniffing. "I know I don't deserve it but I could really do with all the friends I can get at the moment. And...well you were always the friend who would tell me straight."

"You've taken a test right? I mean, you confirmed you're really pregnant?" Paris said trying to get her head round it.

"Yeah. I've got a doctor's appointment next week but I took a test last night and then two more this morning to be sure. They were all positive." Rory said quietly.

"Wow." Paris said quietly. She glanced at her. "Does Logan know?"

"No." Rory answered quickly.

"Well I think that's the first thing you should do." Paris said cautiously. "He deserves to know." She said. "And then you go to the doctor's appointment. I'll come with you if you want."

"Why are you being nice to me?" She said quietly. "I was horrible to you. I said such horrible things to you and Jess. Why are you even still bothering with me?"

"Because that's what friends do." Paris said quietly. "You may have said I wasn't your friend but you never stopped being mine."

Rory blinked back some tears. "I'm sorry." She said tremulously.

"It's ok." She said softly. "We were both in the wrong. Let's just focus on moving forward. That is, if you want to?" She said nervously.

Rory gave her a small smile. "I could really do with my best friend right now." She admitted.

"Well she's right here." Paris gave her a small smile. "Hey look over there, Jess has been grabbed by Miss Patty." She said smirking slightly as Patty insisted on dancing with him and Jess was trying his hardest to get away.

Rory smirked slightly. "Poor Jess..."

Paris glanced at her. "Should we save him?" She said.

"He's your boyfriend, your choice." She said.

Paris glanced at her but saw she was smirking slightly as she said that so she relaxed a bit. She glanced over at Jess and then smirked at Rory. "I say leave it a minute."

Rory laughed. "Poor Jess."

"I think he can handle himself." Paris smiled. She glanced over at Rory. "Hey...it's good to have you back."

Rory smiled softly. "Yeah, you too."

"Anything you need, I'm here ok?" She said sincerely.

"Thanks Paris." Rory said gratefully. "I don't deserve it but thanks."

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep letting me know what you think by reviewing! Your support really does mean so much to me so thank you! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay in updating either story! Work's been crazy this week so I haven't had a chance to write. But I got off early today so here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 6

"Hey.." Jess said hesitantly as he cautiously walked up to Rory and Paris who were the only ones sat in Luke's during a lull.

"Hey." Paris smiled at him.

"Hey." Rory said quietly.

"Mind if I sit?" Jess asked Rory. He hadn't spoken to Rory since she and Paris made up so he still wasn't sure what reception he would get from her.

"No, sit." Rory gave him a small smile. "I'm guessing Paris told you..." She said quietly.

Jess glanced at Paris and then back at her. "Yeah." He admitted. "But only because she thought you needed all the support you can get at the moment."

"It's fine." She sighed. "I don't mind that she told you." She said honestly.

"So...you spoke to Logan?" Jess said cautiously.

"At the weekend." Rory nodded.

"And?"

"He was shocked." She told him. "I told him I didn't expect anything from him."

"So he's just going to continue with his life like nothing had happened?" Jess frowned.

"He's getting married." Rory said. "I can't just expect him to drop everything because I screwed up."

"No, Rory, it takes two to make a baby. What you and Logan did was wrong but he did it as well." Jess said. "He should step up to his responsibilities!"

Rory shrugged. "I told him not to. He's happy and his family are happy. I don't want to ruin that for him."

"I've told her that she has our support anyway." Paris said giving Jess a look.

"What? Yeah of course you have us." He said. "And your mom and Luke. Have you told them yet?"

"Not yet." Rory admitted. "I wanted to wait until after the doctor's appointment today."

"I'm going to go with her today. Do you want to join us?" Paris asked him.

"You don't have to." Rory said quickly, not knowing whether it would be weird for him.

"No, I'll be there." Jess said. "Besides, Paris and I were going to have dinner tonight so we can go after."

"Oh. Right. Ok." Rory said still finding it slightly weird that her ex was going out with her best friend.

"We are?" Paris said surprised. "When was that decided?"

"Oh I must have forgotten to tell you." Jess smirked.

"Oh I guess you must have." She smirked.

"You free?" He grinned.

"Well..." Paris said glancing at Rory.

"It's fine. You go. I was always planning to talk to my mom afterwards anyway." Rory said giving them a small smile.

"Then I guess I'm free." Paris told Jess.

"Great. Now let's eat before we head to the doctor's." He said.

* * *

The three of them walked into the doctor's surgery to sign Rory in for her appointment when suddenly Rory froze.

"What?" Paris said.

"Logan..." She said totally stunned.

Jess and Paris followed her gaze and were shocked to see Logan Huntzberger sat in one of the seats in the waiting room. He looked up and spotted them all, his expression turning in surprise when he realised Rory wasn't alone. He slowly got up and walked over to them. "Hey Ace..." He said.

"What are you doing here?" Rory said still shocked.

"You mentioned you had this appointment. I wanted to be here for it and for you." Logan said.

"But...I told you I didn't expect anything from you. You've got your own life. You're getting married in two weeks!" Rory said.

"Not anymore." Logan said.

"What?" She said shocked.

"I told Odette I couldn't marry her. To be honest, I don't think she was that surprised. We were both only agreeing to do it to please our families. Our hearts weren't really in it." Logan said.

"You told her the wedding was off? For me?" Rory said quietly.

"It's always been you, Ace. From the first day I met you, I knew you were special. I told you that. I may not have always been the best boyfriend but you were the first proper girlfriend I ever had and you were the first and only girl I've ever fallen for." Logan said honestly.

"Logan..." Rory said softly.

"I'm here ok? I'm going to leave my job, I don't care what my family says. I'm going to give in my notice and I'm going to move back here and we're going to make this work." He said softly, taking hold of her hands. "I love you, Ace, and you're going to have my baby. I want to be a good dad. I want to be everything my dad wasn't. If you'll let me?" He said.

Rory looked at him for a moment, blinking back some tears, before launching herself at him throwing her arms around him and hugging him. "Thank you." She sniffed. She glanced at him. "I love you too." She finally admitted. "I always have."

"Then let's go and see our baby for the first time, yeah? And then after we can talk and we can sort out what to do." Logan said.

"Ok." Rory said after moment. "I just...I need to go use the restroom."

"I'll come with you." Paris spoke for the first time.

"Oh yeah, Logan, you remember Paris right?" Rory said.

"Who could forget Paris Geller?" He said smirking slightly.

"I'm glad my reputation is still in tact. You hurt her, Huntzberger, and I promise you I will make your life hell." Paris warned.

"Noted." Logan said.

"And..uh..this is...uh...Jess." Rory said awkwardly. She remembered how the last meeting between Jess and Logan went horribly. "You two have met before as well..." She said nervously.

"I remember." Logan nodded, studying Jess.

"I remember too. I've written four of those short novels by the way. What was it you said? Oh yeah, more like four books of random thoughts and stuff that happens to me." Jess said.

"And I was a blonde dick I seem to remember." Logan said, smirking slightly.

"Yeah well...you were that night." Jess said smirking slightly as well. He looked at Logan for a moment and held out his hand. "A lot of time has passed since then. Start afresh?" He offered.

Logan looked at him for a moment before shaking his hand. "Well I wasn't exactly the best person back then either." He said.

"I'm Jess." Jess reintroduced himself.

"Logan." Logan chuckled.

"Nice to meet you." Jess smirked.

"You too." Logan said.

"Well now we've got the awkwardness over with...Rory, we better use the restroom before you're called in." Paris said.

"Oh...yeah...ok." Rory said glancing between Logan and Jess before following Paris.

Jess sat down next to Logan while they waited. He glanced over at him. "I think it's admirable that you're here and you want to do the right thing." He said.

Logan glanced at him. "It was never in doubt. As soon as I got that call from Rory, I knew what I had to do. My dad was never there for me. Sure, he gave me privileges in work and stuff but I never wanted all of that. I just wanted a dad. But he was never there for me like that." He said. He glanced over at Jess. "I don't want my kid to think of me like I thought of my dad." He admitted.

"I get it." Jess nodded. "The first chance my dad had, he did a runner and left me and my mom in New York. My mom went off the rails again and I had a pretty screwed up childhood. I didn't handle it very well and then he turned up when I was 18 and well...that didn't end up very well. And then I screwed everything up with Rory and with Luke. I was a mess." He admitted.

"I'm sorry. That must have sucked." Logan said having not realised that maybe the two of them had more in common than he thought.

"I moved past it." Jess shrugged. "Thanks to Luke and even though I screwed things up with Rory, she was one of the reasons I made something of myself. She and Luke believed in me and I wanted to prove that I could be someone. So I started writing and then I managed to get it published."

"And then I mocked you and your book..." Logan sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't let it hold me back, don't worry." Jess smirked. "I guess I was just annoyed at you that even though I'd grown up and made something of myself, I might be able to make things right with Rory...but she'd already fallen for you." He shrugged.

"What?" Logan said surprised.

"I knew I'd lost her when she told me she still loved me even though you cheated on her." Jess said.

"She told you about that?" He said surprised.

"Not in detail. There was a moment when I thought something could happen." He admitted, but left out the bit about the kiss as he wasn't sure if Rory had ever told him about that. "But then she told me what you did but that she still loved you. It was then that I knew I'd left it too late and that I'd lost her."

"Wow..." Logan said surprised by the revelation.

"Besides, her and I are family now that Luke and Lorelai have got married so...it would be kind of wrong anyway." Jess joked.

"No way, they finally did it huh?" Logan smiled.

"Finally, yeah." Jess chuckled.

"Good. I'm happy for them." Logan said sincerely. "Tell them that for me, could you?"

"I'm sure you can tell them yourself. You've told Rory you're going to be sticking around so you're going to have to deal with Lorelai and Luke again." Jess smirked.

"I guess you're right." Logan smirked.

"Good luck with that by the way." Jess said.

"Thanks." He chuckled. He glanced at Jess. "I'm sorry but I have to ask. Your feelings for Rory..."

"Are long over." Jess said. "Besides I'm dating Paris now. I think she'd have something to say if I started pining for Rory again." He smirked.

"You and Paris?" Logan said stunned. "Well I guess things do change..."

"We're back." Rory said. "Are you ready?" She asked Logan.

"Yep. Let's go." Logan smiled as Rory's name was called and they disappeared into a room.

"So how were things with you and Logan?" Paris said.

"Civil." Jess shrugged.

"Civil?" Paris raised her eyebrows.

"The past is the past. He might not be the jerk I thought he was. We all thought he wouldn't step up but he did. That's admirable in my eyes." Jess said.

"I guess so." Paris conceded. "I'm just...worried. Rory changed when she was with Logan. I don't want to lose her again."

"I think it might be different this time. A baby's involved now." Jess said.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Paris said.

"You ready for our first date?" He said.

"We can't just leave." She said.

"I know it's earlier than I'd planned but Rory's got Logan now. I'm sure they'll want some time to talk alone. She won't mind." Jess said. "Come on Geller, where's your spontaneity?" He smirked.

"You're a bad influence, Mariano." She smirked.

"So is that a yes?" He grinned.

"Let's go." She nodded.

* * *

Jess walked into the diner later that day. "Hey." He said as he sat at the counter watching Luke clean it.

"We're closing." Luke told him.

"It's early." Jess said confused.

"Yeah...well, apparently I'm needed at home." Luke said.

"Ah is this to do with the fact that Logan has been spotted in Stars Hollow?" Jess said.

Luke glanced at him in surprise. "How much do you know?" He said hesitantly.

"Depends on how much you know." Jess said.

"Rory told you?" He asked.

"Told me what?"

"Jess..." He said frustrated.

"What? I don't want to say anything out of term incase Rory is planning to tell you when you get home." Jess defended.

"You know about the baby, don't you?" He said.

"So she did tell you." Jess said.

"She told Lorelai not that long ago and she told me. How did you know?" Luke said.

"She told Paris and Paris told me. We went to her doctor's appointment with her today for support. But it seemed like there was already support for her." Jess said.

"Logan went to the appointment?" He said surprised.

"Yep. He was there when we got there. Pretty sure Rory nearly fainted considering how white she went." Jess said.

"I didn't even know she was seeing Logan again." Luke sighed. "Lorelai said she's heard he's engaged. I think she's worried about Rory..."

"I guess they haven't told you everything then." Jess said slightly surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"Well apparently, as soon as Rory told Logan about the baby, he told his fiancee the wedding was off and came straight here. He wants to step up and be there for Rory and their kid, he said."

"Huh." Luke said, not knowing whether to still be angry at Logan for playing with Rory's feelings while he was still engaged or whether he was actually impressed that he was stepping up.

"He seemed sincere." Jess shrugged.

"And since when were you his biggest fan?" Luke said confused.

"I wasn't." He said honestly. "But we had some time to talk and he seemed sincere. I just think a kid deserves to have a dad that actually wants to be there for him and not just because he feels like he should be and definitely not one who thinks it's too much hassle."

"Jess..." Luke said softly, knowing Jess was thinking about Jimmy.

"I didn't need Jimmy. I know that now. I always had a dad. You." Jess shrugged.

"Jess..." Luke said touched.

"I'm just saying, maybe we should give Logan the benefit of the doubt. He wants to be there for his kid. That's good." Jess said.

"Yeah I guess you're right." Luke conceded.

"And if he messes up and does a runner, there will be two of us hunting him down." Jess smirked.

Luke chuckled. "That's true."

"Well, three actually. And I think Paris would be the scariest for him." He joked.

Luke smirked slightly. "I think Paris would be the scariest for anyone who's gotten onto her bad side."

"True." Jess smirked.

Luke glanced at his nephew. "So everything's ok between you, Paris and Rory now then?"

"Well...we haven't exactly talked much about our relationship with her. I think she's still getting her head round that. But I think she's willing to now which is good. And Paris is happier and that's what matters to me." Jess told him.

"You really like Paris, don't you?" Luke said.

"Luke..." Jess groaned.

"What? You acted the same when you were with Rory. Smiling whenever you say her name. You just seem...content. You seem happy." He said.

Jess glanced down embarrassed, slightly. "Yeah...well I guess I am." He admitted. He glanced up at his uncle. "It feels good, doesn't it? Being happy."

Luke smiled, thinking about Lorelai and his life. "Yeah. It does." He said softly.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) I will try and update my other story this weekend so keep an eye out for that! In the meantime, please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you all think! Your support means so much to me so thank you! :)**


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